Teams coming into their Super Bowl window
Yesterday we took a look at teams that need to win the Super Bowl in the very near future, or it won't happen at all. As those teams' Super Bowl window closes, a handful of other teams are just coming into their own, and those are the teams I'd like to focus on today.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals' rise in the AFC North may coincide almost perfectly with the fall of both the Ravens and Steelers. While I don't expect either of the Bengals' division rivals to fall to the bottom of the NFL barrel, I do expect a fall off on their part in the next couple of years. Combine their fall with the Bengals youth movement and the drafting of their franchise quarterback, Andy Dalton, and you have a scenario suited almost perfectly for the Bengals to win their division consistently over the next five years.
Denver Broncos
When you don't have a window, make one. That seems to be the mindset of John Elway. The Broncos weren't going to win a championship with Tim Tebow leading their team. He was a gadget quarterback, and to maintain long term success, Elway knew he had to bring in a true passer. Bringing in Peyton Manning essentially forced the Broncos' Super Bowl window wide open. If Manning can get back to 80% of his former self, the Broncos could be the best team in the league.
Detroit Lions
The Lions may be one of the saddest franchises since the merger, but they're trying to make up for lost time. Calvin Johnson is the best wide receiver in the game, and Matthew Stafford should be considered one of the best gunslingers out there. The Lions' major concern rests in their secondary. If they can find a patch that at least slows their opponents down, the Lions will be difficult to stop. They're a better team than the Bears, and they should give Green Bay a run for the divisional title this year.
Houston Texans
Last year, the Texans finally broke through with an AFC South title. Their situation is perfect. The Colts are one of the worst teams in the league, the Jaguars are trying to develop a poor quarterback, and the Titans are average on the best of days. The Texans should have no problem dominating the AFC South over the next few seasons. If Matt Schaub can stay healthy, the Texans are one of the best teams in the AFC South. They combine an explosive offense with a dominant defense. They just might be my pick to represent the AFC in next February's Super Bowl.
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so if Manning is 80% or better, the Broncos are winning the Superbowl? I think Manning is better than 80% now... you better order your SB titckets..... Manning was a great pick up..... Getting rid of Tebow was a Huge, Huge Mistake and if Manning stays healthy, we'll never see how huge it was until Manning retires.... But if Manning goes down, I guess we'll have to wait another decade before the Broncos get exciting again..... Hey, Back off on the Tebow hate, will ya? He's a good man.... and if there weren't Aholes like you puting him down, maybe he would still be with Denver - Tebow is going to win a championship - if he would of started those first 5 games - who knows what would of happened.... plus, the guy added a lot of excitement last year, durring that pittsbourgh game, I yelled louder and tears of joy came to my eyes more than when Elway played - Probably because I expected Elway to win.... So, give Tebow some slack, will ya, he needs support.
@MikeAnderson You're right; Tim Tebow is a great person. There's no doubt about that, but he's not a great quarterback, and that's why the Broncos unloaded him. He's a gadget player, and the decision to dump him was based solely on football, not popular opinion by media members or bloggers.
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Tebow is not a great QB??? in your opinion and Elways.... let me ask you this, Didn't Tebow win TWO NATIONAL TITLES??? DIDN'T HE WIN THE HEISMAN???? Tebow is a WINNER.... did you take the time to read what I wrote? Tebow took the broncos from 1-4 to a division title - AND IF THAT AIN'T GREAT ENOUGH FOR YOU, how's this - HE KNOCKED OUT THE PITTSBOURGH STEELERS THAT WERE THE DEFENDING AFC CHAMPS - I get sick of people like you argueing over shit that they don't know about. Looking at your picture, you probably don't know that their was a group of QBs that came out in 1983 that to this day is considered the greatest year that QBs came into the NFL... can you name one? Listen, my who beef was with this writer to back off puting Tebow down and then you get in my face and say he's not a great player - you're a fucking idiot!
@MikeAnderson @SkinsHogHeaven @smaclemons
This is without a doubt some of the best posts I've read in quiet awhile. You Go Mike!!!!..... your so right....I myself started wiping my @$$ in '57 and they ain't been a LB since Butkus that put "Real Fear" in QB's and I do mean REAL FEAR!!! When I was a kid, Butkus was who I wanted to play like. I'll never forget an interview he gave one year about how he played the game and I say this in reference to the shit happening in New Orleans. He said "when I go into a game, I pick one guy, it doesn't matter if it's a QB, RB, WR, TE or Lineman but, who ever I pick, I take his ASS out before the game is over". He claimed to play that way every game of his life and from all the ones I was fortunate enough to see, that was how he played, When the announcer said the QB was running for his life, from Butkus, he meant it! If a player today said that he was going to take another players ASS out of the game, he'd probably be suspended forever. This might not have much to do with the posts on Tebow but, All QB's were runners of some sort in the past or they got there ass killed,....hence..the meaning of NFL(NotForLong). Today the NFL is made for panzies....that's why the QB is so protected. Hell, back in the days of Baugh and Tittle,.......Tebow would have come to your office and whipped your ass for the comments the writers are making today. You kids can't even whip your own kids without being subject to a lawsuit from some ass wipe claiming child abuse or from your own kids suing you. Or how about you being charged with a crime because your ass wipe kid broke the law. Don't whip his ass for that......it's child abuse. People wonder why there are some many crimes committed by young kids and it seems the world is really getting worst. Well, you can attribute that shit to all the people getting in A Families Business, that's why you can't even discipline your own kids any more and all you young adults can't Fuck'n figure out why. A man can't even be a man anymore..... most of the guys out there are just Pu$$ies. Oh,....I'll shoot your fuck'n ass.......that's the dam problem! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO TAKE AN ASS WHIPPING BECAUSE YOUR PARENTS NEVER WHIPPED YOUR F#CK'N @$$!!!!
Love your comments Mike......oh, was that the Dan Pastorini flak jacket that Elway started wearing....I remember when it was made for Pastorini....the guys who invented it, came in, one wearing it the other with a baseball bat and commenced to show that it could protect the ribs even when getting beat with a bat.
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@SkinsHogHeaven @MikeAnderson @smaclemons
I really don't think we disagree on if Elway was a running QB - If you saw him in the first three season (and don't pull stats-PLEASE) Elway was known for his Arm - however, those first three years, he was known as a running QB, he got flustered easy and ran - Dan Reeves wanted Elway to stay in the pocket.... Elway stopped running his ass off after he broke his ribs and from that moment on, he wore a jacket.... it changed his game, yes, he still scrambbled, but you didn't see him run for yardage like he use to..... Elway back then was compared to Fran Tarkenton - vikings, a QB that wasn't afraid to run either..... all I'm saying is, you have QBs that are known for ALL KINDS OF STUFF, THEIR TENDENCIES.... I could see it already in Tebow he was going to be another Elway if given the time to Develope.... I don't think Tebow would of ever left Denver on his own, I don't think money would of tempted him - it's just sad that Denver gave up on him when Manning may play 3 years and Tebow could be around 14 more years - if he was given SUPPORT. I have looked at the Jets sceduel - I can see the jets pulling a 1-4 start like Denver - and this time around, I hope Tebow scores to shut up all you Tebow haters.... listen, the writer here said Tebow is not a great QB - how can you say that when Tebow was the brightest light in last season - we're still talking about him and he's a back up.... we're talking about him because deep down inside EVERYBODY KNOWS he's dangerous - everybody knows he's gonna do something AND THAT IS WHAT MAKES A GREAT PLAYER - not stats.
@MikeAnderson @smaclemons I'm enjoying this, Mike. Hope you are too.
You must be an admirer of Woody Hayes who had two great quotes on stats. "Statistics always remind me of fellow who drowned in a river where the average depth was only three feet."
"The only meaningful statistic is number of games won."
Sadly for Tebow, pro coaches and GMs look at both stats and video to see how they line up with each other. You do not have a complete picture if you only look at one and ignore the other. In Tebow's case, 2011 video and stats condemned him.
John "running man" Elway, your epitome of a running quarterback, watched Tebow's entire career and found he was not good enough to tutor under Manning. I disagree with that, but not my call.
Ex-Broncos Mark Schlereth says Tebow is not NFL material. I think he meant at any position. The thought is widely held by more football people than the fruity name you call the author.
If you are a true Tebow fan, you have to start listening to what a LOT of people are saying about the man as a passer. His future is in passing the ball. Brian Billick would start by changing Tebow's dead weight and workout routines. He says Tebow is not developing the movement and musculature for the fluid motions used by NFL quarterbacks.
Tebow says he will listen to advice like this to become a better quarterback. Will you?
By the way, I never said I was a Broncos fan. I said have have seen Elway play from his rookie season, and I have. We'll just disagree on whether he was a running quarterback. I've never heard him describe himself as such. I doubt he would call himself that if you asked him.
Finally, I first saw your comment in my email. I did not know what you were until much later when I saw your picture. If my question whether you were THE Mike Anderson was inappropriate, I apologize. It was not intended to be. Your comment would carry more weight if you were speaking as Elway's teammate. I was just checking.
OMGZZZZ. Joey Harrington never got a real chance, so much hate... IT WANST FIAR. He had a really crappy team around him and he got blamed because he was innacurate and had a nuddle amr... .... stats lie about him he had so much talent. So many haters... harrington for prez.
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that showed the WHOLE PLAY just like your STAT BOOK YOU KEEP HIDDEN UP YOUR ASS.
To me, That was an insult ..... Tebow is not the first to "tebow".... it's been going on the last century in football.... Tebow has been doing it his whole life. Tebow "tebows" in PRAYER.... he prays all the time - he was raised that way.... now, if you guys seen this, then you know This did effect Tebow - and it was expected to happen sooner or later - What kind of pose do you do lemonsucker? I bet it has something to do with getting on your knees - lol
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Hey, I love football, My Brother in law loves the Lions, I have a friend that loves the lions.... All these years that I've watched football, the Lions have sucked... They are finally emerging at one of the top teams - I had them penciled in to play greeen bay in the NFC Championship game - that didn't happen...... Hey, Tebow is not Superman, he can't do everything..... last year, the teams didn't get to practice during the off season - was that Tebow's fault? I'm just Tired of Everybody hating the guy when he means well - The guy to me is a breath of fresh air in the NFL.... I like hearing him give credit to others instead of me, me, me.
Hey Mike, since you are a broncos fan, you must remember the Lions game, right? Bro, remember when Tulloch Tebowed all over your field? I do. Classic. By the way, the Lion's D put up more points than Tebow Jesus.
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Great, now I got another stat lover - ELWAY WAS A FREAKING RUNNER - Let me tell you what a runner is in the NFL, it's a guy that runs the ball - ok.... I didn't say Elway was a half back or a full back - ya get my point? I loved watching Elwya run, he was great at improvising - but I'm talking about Elways first 3 years - he ran more times than DAN REEVES wanted him too.... yah, there was a coach before Shanahan.... I think maybe two? Jack Elway ring a bell?
You say you're a Bronco fan..... My picture is right next to my name... do I look Black??? Mike Anderson, number 38 on the Broncos was black - I'm white...... listen, Read what I say so I don't have to repeat myself..... When something in front of you is as clear as BLACK AND WHITE, understand it, learn from it...... Do you know what it took for Elway to finally STOP RUNNING the ball??? he broke his ribs - just like Tebow.... but Elways did it after a few seasons and after he broke his ribs he wore a jacket to protect his ribs - AND THAT IS WHY YOU DON'T LOOK AT HIM AS A RUNNER BECAUSE YOU MISSED THE START OF HIS CAREER. ......Trust me, Tebow Doesn't have good stats - I know that.... Tebow has Qualities as a QB that I haven't seen in the last Decade of QBs that have played for Denver - He has Heart, Spirit, the Will to win - AND HE WAS THE BEST AT IT THIS LAST YEAR - FUCK THE STATS - HE GOT THE "W"!
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STATS, STATS, STATS..... you are one of those people that live by stats.... I'm one of those FANS that watch the GAMES.... let me tell you something about Stats... When a QB throws a Ball and it gets intercepted, it is ALWAYS PINNED ON THE QB - WHY? you know how many WR run the wrong route and that is why the ball gets picked? STOP IT WITH THE STATS - THEY LIE........ here is a STAT OF FACT MR. TEBOW HATER.... DT - you know, the one that caught the 80 yard TD from Tebow to beat the AFC Champion Steelers - well, just last week the dumby ADMITTED he didn't know the plays.... OMG!!!! So your little Stat book that you crave to know football with, your best friend, it has been LIEING to you.... STATS LIE ! I'm telling you you little lemonsuck'n mofo I watch the games - NOT STATS.... I know the truth - YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!
answer the questions that are put to you.... what year were you born? That IS A STAT I CAN RELY ON... that is a stat that tells me when you came out of your diapers!!! IF YOU'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT A "MAN'S SPORT" START ACTING LIKE ONE..... ADMIT WHEN YOUR WRONG, ADMIT HOW MANY GAMES, IF ANY YOU SAW TEBOW PLAY. ....AND SHUT UP WITH YOUR LIE'N STATS THEY DON'T MEAN NOTHING TO ME - THEY ARE NOT TRUST WORTHY...... In war do you say Hitler was a bad as because he killed so many? END RESULTS, NOT STATS.... did Hitler get the "W"??? Hell no!!!! When you talk Stats, don't you understand it makes you look like a freak'n idiot????
@MikeAnderson @smaclemons Wow.
Say, are you the Mike Anderson who was a Broncos FB/RB, or another Mike Anderson. Just curious if your view of Elway was from the sideline, or the stands.
I am old enough to have seen Elway play many times over his entire career. He was not a running quarterback. Elway was a mobile quarterback. He extended many plays by using his legs, most were behind the scrimmage line. Yes, he did bust some big plays by running downfield, but running was a mere compliment to his excellent passing skills.
Running is a feature of Tebow's skills. Tebow rushed, successfully, 122 times in 11 games, against 271 pass attempts. 1 rush for every 2.2 passes. Elway at the same point in his career (1984) rushed 56 times against 380 pass attempts. 1 rush for every 6.8 pass attempts.
He is not an excellent passer. Tebow's completion rate was 10 percentage points lower that Elway's '84 record. He might develop into one given time and the right coaching. Elway took lessons from his coach, Mike Shanahan, who also coached Steve Young and Jake Plummer. Both were mobile in the Elway/Shanahan mold. I've watched Shanahan in Washington for two seasons and found him to be a very rigid thinker. There is no way he would have drafted or ever played Tebow at quarterback.
I give John Fox high marks for adapting the offense for Tebow (and hoping Shanahan does the same for RG3).
If you are a Tebow Broncos fan, you should be concerned that Denver lost it's last three games, including a home loss to the Chiefs when Tebow threw for 60 yards for a 20.6 passer rating. That one game is why Denver chose not to keep Tebow to be tutored by Peyton Manning.
National titles and Super Bowls wins are team accomplishments. The Florida Gaters with Tebow were a super team with a super coach. they won with Tebow and sometimes in spite of him.
I'm not a Tebow-basher (dislike using 'hater.') I betcha he starts six games for the Jets. I would take him over Rex Grossman any day, if Shanahan and that other guy were not in the way.
@MikeAnderson John Elway ran the ball 66 times in 1987. He never ran the ball more times in any other season. Tim Tebow ran the ball 122 times last season. In 1987, Elway threw the ball 410 times. Last season, Tebow threw the ball 271 times. For comparison's sake, Tom Brady averages 34 rushes per season, and in 2006 ran the ball 49 times. You're right on one thing. I haven't seen as many Elway snaps in my life as you have. Since you've seen 98% of Elway's professional snaps, I would have expected you to know that he was a passer first and scrambler (not runner) second. As you said earlier, don't talk about something unless you know what you're talking about.
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Listen Lemonsuckers, I seen Elway play from day one til he retired - and looking at your picture, you never saw him play.... don't tell me how Elway Played when you were probably still shitting in your diapers.... Elway was a RUNNING QB - JUST LIKE TEBOW - OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO - DOES THAT SHOCK YOU???? Elway made plenty of mistakes the first few years. The Broncos D was 1-4 without Tebow - GIVE TEBOW CREDIT. I don't know why I'm writing you, you keep saying Tebow is not a great QB - Hey Dumbshit, I already proved you wrong on that so ADMIT YOU'RE WRONG....
so lemonsucker, tell me, what year you were born? Elway started in the NFL in 1983 - 29 years ago.... I'm going to guess you were born in 1988..... and you're trying to tell a perfect stranger how Elway played.... a stranger that has watch 98% of the snapps - NOTICE, I'M NOT YOU AND SAY 100%.... I did miss a few pissing out of my lemon.
AS I SAID BEFORE YOU STARTED PISSING ME OFF..... don't talk about something unless you know what you're talking about. There is no way you watched Elway's career.... And I bet you the only TEBOW games you seen were the highlight reels - RIGHT???? You're not from the Denver area are you? so shut up and stop insulting players that you don't even watch and stop sucking my lemon!
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Listen Lemonsuckers, I seen Elway play from day one til he retired - and looking at your picture, you never saw him play.... don't tell me how Elway Played when you were probably still shitting in your diapers.... Elway was a RUNNING QB - JUST LIKE TEBOW - OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO - DOES THAT SHOCK YOU???? Elway made plenty of mistakes the first few years. The Broncos D was 1-4 without Tebow - GIVE TEBOW CREDIT. I don't know why I'm writing you, you keep saying Tebow is not a great QB - Hey Dumbshit, I already proved you wrong on that so ADMIT YOU'RE WRONG....
so lemonsucker, tell me, what year you were born? Elway started in the NFL in 1983 - 29 years ago.... I'm going to guess you were born in 1988..... and you're trying to tell a perfect stranger how Elway played.... a stranger that has watch 98% of the snapps - NOTICE, I'M NOT YOU AND SAY 100%.... I did miss a few pissing out of my lemon.
AS I SAID BEFORE YOU STARTED PISSING ME OFF..... don't talk about something unless you know what you're talking about. There is no way you watched Elway's career.... And I bet you the only TEBOW games you seen were the highlight reels - RIGHT???? You're not from the Denver area are you? so shut up and stop insulting players that you don't even watch and stop sucking my lemon!
@MikeAnderson The Broncos' defense kept them in games last season, and that unit doesn't get enough credit. With a solid QB (Manning in this case), they should be one of the best teams in the league. Tebow is simply not an NFL caliber QB, and that's why he'll be backing up Mark Sanchez. It's not a personal attack on Tim Tebow. He's just not a great QB. The difference between him and Elway early in their respective careers is that Elway was always a passer first. If Tebow was a passer first, teams would try to take that part of his game away, but they don't. When you play Tebow, you take the run away first.
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I don't see your comment here.... first of all, Pittsbourgh didn't let Tebow do anything - TEBOW KICKED THEIR ASS - DID YOU WATCH THE CAME???
The other thing you said: "Tebow is a Poor QB" - No he's not - that is why he has had two contract with two NFL TEAMS - AND THAT'S A FACT.... you meant to say he's got POOR STATS..... Tebows Stats at the end of the year were better than Elways first year - ELWAY WENT TO 5 SUPERBOWLS..... Listion Limonsucker, unless you watched every Tebow game he played last year, I'M TELLING YOU, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. Why don't you tell me how great Flaco is? I mean, Flaco won't argue with you, he thinks he's the best...... I just want you to know how much damage you do to a players image by keep repeating how bad they are = OBVIOUSLY, I have kicked your ass in all of our arguments right now - AND YOU'RE THE WRITER - lol.... IF YOU CAN'T SAY SOMETHING NICE ABOUT TEBOW, THEN YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS BRINGING HIM INTO YOUR CONVERSATIONS..... Why don't you talk about something you know? That would be a good idea, wouldn't it?
@MikeAnderson In the Pittsburgh game, the Steelers dared Tim Tebow to throw, and he completed long pass after long pass. It was without a doubt his best game as an NFL player. In college, it was enough for Tebow to be athletic with a hint of throwing ability, but he's shown that he isn't proficient in the passing game at the NFL level (lowest completion % in the NFL last year). Great guy. Poor quarterback. It's not a personal statement. It's a statement of fact. Elway knew that the Broncos couldn't build a sustainable offense without a true passer. That's why he unloaded Tebow.
